Peter Wehner: Will Obama Adjust As Predecessors Did?

Previous presidents faced with a takeover of Capitol Hill by the opposing party have simply adjusted, says Peter Wehner, a columnist for Commentary magazine and former official in the George W. Bush administration.

"Bill Clinton after the '94 debacle for his party made changes and began to govern from the center and move toward welfare reform and other things. President Bush after the 2006 midterm elections made adjustments on Iraq. President Reagan made some adjustments after 1982," Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"That doesn't mean that somebody has to throw out their governing philosophy and undo everything, but it means that the public is sending you a message when you have a repudiation of this size and breadth and depth that President Obama had. If you're a politician, it probably makes a lot of sense to listen to that, to internalize it, and to make adjustments in light of it."

Previous presidents faced with a takeover of Capitol Hill by the opposing party have simply adjusted, says Peter Wehner, a columnist for Commentary magazine and former official in the George W. Bush administration.